Illuminated push-button switch

ABSTRACT

An illuminated push-button switch having a switch actuator movable independently of a fixed lamp carried externally of the switch housing, yet which functions to effectively illuminate the light-transmitting cap cover of such switch actuator.

1451 Nov. 19, 1974 United States Patent 1191 Habecker [54] ILLUMlNATEDPUSH-BUTTON SWITCH 3,179,777 4/1965 200/317 [75] Inventor: Johnwjabeckenwaukeganm. 3,377,452 4/1968 Bocketa1...........................200/314 [73] Assignee: Cherry Electrical Products Corporation, waukegan, Primary Examiner-G. Hams May 9, 1974 Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Edward C. Threedy [22] Filed:

Appl. No.: 468,367

ABSTRACT [52] US. 200/310, 200/314 [51] Int. Cl. H01h 9/16 An illuminated push button switch having a switch ac- [58] Field of Search ZOO/308, 310, 314, 317,

tuator movable independently of a fixed lamp carried externally of the switch housing, yet which functions to effectively illuminate the light-transmitting cap cover of such switch actuator.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,118,038 McKnight 200/314 8 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures ILLUMINATED PUSH-BUTTON SWITCH SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention can be utilized in illuminated push-button switches of the type shown and described in US. Pat. No. 3,644,855 dated Feb. 22, 1972.

Push-button switches of the type above identified are by the present invention illuminated by a lamp assembly which is entirely independent of the switching components and offers no interference therewith during operation of the switch or servicing of' the lamp assembly.

The exterior wall of the switch housing provides terminal receptacles together with a lamp socket, with the lamp positionable within a hollow switch-button cap and projectable therethrough beneath a lighttransmitting cover upon the actuation of the pushbutton switch actuator.

The objects of the invention will be apparent from the drawings showing the preferred embodiment, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an illuminated pushbutton switch of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the switch in an unactuated position;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the switch similar to FIG. 2, but showing the same in an actuated position;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the elements of the illuminated push-button switch in an exploded relationship;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary tdp plan view of a portion of the switch housing;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of one lamp terminal; and

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a lamp as utilized in this invention.

The push button switch is shown as comprising a housing 10 together with a cap 11 carried by an exposed stem portion 12 of a switch actuator 13.

The components of the switch can be of any type, but are preferably of the type shown and described in the aforementioned patent and, as such, make up no part of the present invention.

The actuator cap 11 of the present switch comprises a generally rectangularly shaped solid cap 14 and a light-transmitting cover 15. The cap 14 has formed in its bottom wall 16 an elongated recess 17 which frictionally receives the like shaped free end portion 12 of the actuator 13. The cap 14 has its top surface recessed as at 18 as shown in FIG. 1, and is provided with a circular opening 19 which provides clear passage through the bottom wall 16 of the cap 14 into the interior of the recess 18, as shown. The side walls 20 of the cap 14 are provided with ribs 21 which terminate short of the bottom wall 16 of the cap 17 so as to provide a locking shoulder 22.

The cover 15 is hollow and provides on certain interior faces of its side walls 23 and 24, abutments 25 which, when the cover 15 is projected onto the cap 14, will snap beneath the shoulders 22 of the ribs 21, thus connecting the cover 15 to the cap 14.

The switch housing 10 provides at one corner an enlarged rectangularly shaped comer block 26, with the block 26 extending above the top wall 27 of the housing 10, as shown. 2

Provided by side walls 28 and 28' adjacent to the corner block 26 are a pair of elongated ribs 29 extending in a spaced parallel relation to confronting side walls of the comer block 26.

As shown in FIG. 5, the corner block 26, as well as the ribs 29, have confronting wall portions angularly cut as at 30, so as to provide confronting restraining lips 31 which define a recess 32 which extends throughout the longitudinal length of the ribs 29. An internal rib 33 projects outwardly from the rear wall which delines the recess 32. Adapted to be slidably projected into the recess 32 are lamp tenninals 34. As shown in FIG. 6, the terminal 34 provides a connector end 35 together with a socket-forming top wall 36. The socketforming top wall 36 provides a base wall 37 which extends coplanar with the elongated body of the terminal 34 and has at one side thereof a lateral side wall 38 which extends substantially at right angles to the wall 37, with the side wall 38 tenninating into an angular flange 39 which has a portion of its top wall angularly bent in the direction of the wall 37 so as to form a tab 40.

As shown in FIG. 5, the corner block 26 provides a wall 41 elevated with respect to the top wall 27 of the switch housing 10, and which extends from the innermost comer of the corner block 26 angularly into the direction of the center of the switch housing 10. To either side of the wall 41 there is formed in the top wall 27 a pair of circular apertures 42 which are adapted to receive the male prongs 43 of a lamp 44 shown in FIG. 7.

The terminals 34 are slidably positioned within the recesses 32 formed by the comer block 26 and the ribs 29, so as to be frictionally held therein, and in such a manner that the tab 40 of the angular flange 39 of each terminal 34 will be disposed above the circular apertures 42 formed to either side of the ball portion 41. The male prongs 43 of the lamp 44 are then inserted past the tabs 40 and into the apertures 42 such that they straddle a portion of the wall 41 and are held against the side walls thereof by the angular flanges 39 of the terminals 34, as shown in FIG. 4. This mounting provides electrical contact between the prongs 43 and the terminals 34.

When the lamp 44 is thus mounted to the exterior of the switch housing 10, the bulb portion 45 will project into the circular opening 19 formed in the cap 14, as shown in dotted lines in FIG. 2. When the switch is actuated as shown in FIG. 3, the lamp 44 will project upwardly into the recess 18 of the cap 14 beneath the light-transmitting cover 15, so as to illuminate the same.

From the foregoing it is apparent that there is provided a lamp means for a push-button switch which may be readily serviced without disrupting the switch operation or the components of the push-button switch, yet which will provide maximum illumination for the switch as required.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred fonn of construction for carrying my invention into effect, this is capable of variation and modification without departing from the spirit of the invention. I, therefore, do not wish to be limited to the precise details of construction set forth, but desire to avail myself of such variations and modifications as come within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. An illuminated push-button switch comprising a. a closed housing for the switch components including an actuator, one end of which is normally exposed,

b. a removable cap mounted on the exposed end of the actuator,

c. a light-transmitting cover for said cap,

d. an illuminating means mounted on said housing and adapted to project beneath said lighttransmitting cover of said cap,

e. means carried externally of said housing providing electrical connections for said illuminating means,

f. means provided by said housing for attaching said electrical connecting means to the exterior thereof,

g. and means on said electrical connecting means cooperating with said means for attaching said electrical connecting means to said housing, so as to provide a socket for said illuminating means.

2. An illuminated push-button switch as defined by claim 1 wherein said means provided by said housing for attaching said electrical connecting means to the exterior thereof include recesses formed in the exterior walls of said housing and extending perpendicular to said cap and said cover and adapted to frictionally receive therein said electrical connecting means.

3. An illuminated push-button switch as defined by claim 1 wherein said illuminating means is a twopronged lamp, and said means for providing electrical connections for said lamp include elongated highlyconductive terminal members.

4. An illuminated push-button switch as defined in claim 3 wherein said means provided by said housing for attaching said terminal members to the exterior thereof include recesses formed in the exterior walls ofsaid housing and extending perpendicular to said cap and said cover and adapted to frictionally receive therein said terminal members.

5. An illuminated push-button switch as defined by claim 1 further defined by having said cap provided with an opening extending therethrough and through which said illuminating means projects so as to illuminate said light-transmitting cover for said cap.

6. An illuminated push button switch as defined by claim 5, wherein said means provided by said housing for attaching said electrical connecting means to the exterior thereof include recesses formed in the exterior walls of said housing and extending perpendicular to said cap and said cover and adapted to frictionally receive therein said electrical connecting means.

7. An illuminated push-button switch as defined by claim 5, wherein said illuminating means is a twopronged lamp, and said means for providing electrical connections for said lamp include elongated highly conductive terminal members.

8. An illuminated push-button switch as defined by claim 4, further defined by having said cap provided with an opening extending therethrough and through which said illuminating means projects so as to illuminate said light-transmitting cover for said cap. 

1. An illuminated push-button switch comprising a. a closed housing for the switch components including an actuator, one end of which is normally exposed, b. a removable cap mounted on the exposed end of the actuator, c. a light-transmitting cover for said cap, d. an illuminating means mounted on said housing and adapted to project beneath said light-transmitting cover of said cap, e. means carried externally of said housing providing electrical connections for said illuminating means, f. means provided by said housing for attaching said electrical connecting means to the exterior thereof, g. and means on said electrical connecting means cooperating with said means for attaching said electrical connecting means to said housing, so as to provide a socket for said illuminating means.
 2. An illuminated push-button switch as defined by claim 1 wherein said meAns provided by said housing for attaching said electrical connecting means to the exterior thereof include recesses formed in the exterior walls of said housing and extending perpendicular to said cap and said cover and adapted to frictionally receive therein said electrical connecting means.
 3. An illuminated push-button switch as defined by claim 1 wherein said illuminating means is a two-pronged lamp, and said means for providing electrical connections for said lamp include elongated highly-conductive terminal members.
 4. An illuminated push-button switch as defined in claim 3 wherein said means provided by said housing for attaching said terminal members to the exterior thereof include recesses formed in the exterior walls of said housing and extending perpendicular to said cap and said cover and adapted to frictionally receive therein said terminal members.
 5. An illuminated push-button switch as defined by claim 1 further defined by having said cap provided with an opening extending therethrough and through which said illuminating means projects so as to illuminate said light-transmitting cover for said cap.
 6. An illuminated push-button switch as defined by claim 5, wherein said means provided by said housing for attaching said electrical connecting means to the exterior thereof include recesses formed in the exterior walls of said housing and extending perpendicular to said cap and said cover and adapted to frictionally receive therein said electrical connecting means.
 7. An illuminated push-button switch as defined by claim 5, wherein said illuminating means is a two-pronged lamp, and said means for providing electrical connections for said lamp include elongated highly conductive terminal members.
 8. An illuminated push-button switch as defined by claim 4, further defined by having said cap provided with an opening extending therethrough and through which said illuminating means projects so as to illuminate said light-transmitting cover for said cap. 